Alabama Department of Corrections has once again acted in retaliation against Robert Earl Council. This is not the first time that he has been targeted.

Robert Earl Council, one of the founders of the Free Alabama Movement (FAM), is known both in and outside of Alabama’s prisons as a leader of peaceful prison strikes, and a teacher of peace, education and spiritual development. Council has once again been placed in solitary following the riot and homicide at Holman Correctional Facility on December 2nd.

Council was placed in solitary on trumped up disciplinary charges by Lt. Thrasher at Donaldson Correctional Facility on December 7th for “failure to obey a direct order” after Lt. Thrasher entered the cell block to conduct a routine inspection. Council brought to Lt. Thrashers attention the fact that the cell block’s water fountain was out of order, and needed a repair by the institution’s maintenance. Thrasher, being aware of “who” Council is and his involvement in Alabama and national prison strikes, immediately seized the opportunity to become aggressive with Council.

Thrasher gave Council a direct order to “fix” the water fountain. Council then pointed out to Thrasher that he (Council) was not assigned nor qualified to do repairs to the institution nor did he believe in doing labor without being compensated for his work. At that time Thrasher became verbally aggressive with Council and voiced threats, while Warden Pickens (who was present) stood by and failed to intervene.
Council then asked the above mentioned lieutenant his correct name in order to properly file a complaint. Thrasher immediately asked Council if he was threatening him.

As a result, Council was placed in solitary once again, facing two institutional disciplinary infractions. The purpose of this punishment was simply to remove Council’s influence from bringing peace within the prisons following the riot at Holman.

ADOC is guilty of strategically removing all confined citizens who are influential in maintaining peace. This both allows and promotes chaos within ADOC prisons. Since Council’s confinement on December 7th, there have been at least 2 more riots in Holman CF, resulting in at least three hospitalizations. Council’s situation represents a pattern of retaliation that ADOC carries out daily, in part to maintain instability among prisoners. This is part of a larger phenomena of ADOC’s violent practices, which Council described in 2016 as the Holman Project.

This press release was published by FAM Queen Team and Unheard Voices OTCJ, both civil rights activist organizations. They demand that ADOC end all retaliatory acts against Robert Earl Council (Kinetik Justice) and any others in his class confined in ADOC.